Meaning of 混
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to mix
- to mingle
- muddled
- to drift along
- to muddle along
- to pass for
- to get along with sb
- thoughtless
- muddy; turbid (variant of 渾|浑[hun2])
- brainless; foolish (variant of 渾|浑[hun2])
- Taiwan pr. [hun4]
How to use 混
As a verb, 混 means to mix things together, as in 混合 (hùnhé), or casually to drift along or get by without real effort. In everyday speech it often describes someone just scraping by: 他在公司混日子。 (Tā zài gōngsī hùn rìzi.) He is just killing time at the company.
混 has the water radical 氵 on the left and 昆 (kūn) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture water poured in and everything stirred together until it is mixed and muddy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 混 with 浑 (hún, muddy), since both have the water radical and similar meanings. Also note that 混蛋 (scoundrel) is read húndàn with a second tone, not hùndàn.
混 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
混 hùn · to mix · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 混.
| 混乱 | hùnluàn | confused; chaotic; disorderly |
| 混合 | hùnhé | to mix; to blend; hybrid; composite |
| 混淆 | hùnxiáo | to obscure; to confuse |
| 混凝土 | hùnníngtǔ | concrete (building material) |
| 混浊 | hùnzhuó | turbid; muddy |
| 混蛋 | húndàn | scoundrel; bastard |
| 混球 | húnqiú | bastard; wretch |
| 鬼混 | guǐhùn | to hang around; to fool around |
| 混账 | hùnzhàng | shameful; absolutely disgraceful! |
| 小混混 | xiǎohùnhùn | hooligan; rogue |
| 混血 | hùnxuè | (of animals) hybrid; (of people) mixed-blood; mixed-race |
| 搞混 | gǎohùn | to confuse; to muddle |
Questions about 混
What does 混 mean?
混 (hùn) means "to mix; to mingle" and is used as a verb and adverb.
How do you write 混?
混 is made of 1 character: 混 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 混 an HSK word?
Yes. 混 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 混 negative when describing how someone lives or works?
Often yes. 混日子 (hùn rìzi) or 瞎混 (xiā hùn) suggests idling or lacking direction. Among friends, 混得不错 (hùn de búcuò) can simply mean doing pretty well, so context matters.
What is the difference between 混乱 and 混淆?
混乱 (hùnluàn) describes a chaotic or disorderly state, like a messy situation. 混淆 (hùnxiáo) is a verb meaning to mix up or confuse two things, such as 混淆是非 (hùnxiáo shìfēi), to confuse right and wrong.